From humble origins in Burlington, Vermont, in the late 1970s to its current status as one of the most popular global ice cream brands, Ben & Jerry's ice cream is an example of the American Dream at work.

Two childhood friends, Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, take a correspondence course on ice cream-making, craft some creative flavor variations, open a small ice cream shop in a renovated garage, expand as success allows, designate a significant amount of profit to various causes and charities and eventually sell the company for hundreds of millions of dollars. As a condition of sale, both Ben & Jerry maintained positions on the board of directors while insisting that the new owners (Unilever) would continue funneling a percentage of profit to the Ben & Jerry's Foundation.

During the 22 years that Ben and Jerry operated the company, Cohen says that he was often inspired to create new flavors of ice cream based on popular culture, social causes or the delectably irresistible combination of ingredients. For the first time, he's created a flavor in honor of a presidential candidate.

'Bernie's Yearning' is a limited edition (as in only 40 pints, each handmade by Ben, in his kitchen) flavor created for Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders's campaign, under the brand name, 'Ben's Best.'

'Jerry and I have seen Bernie in action over the last 30 years here in Vermont and the guy is amazing,' Cohen told me last week in a phone interview from his home in Burlington. 'We just got back from Iowa where we caucused for Bernie. He deserves everybody's vote and whatever you can do to help him.'

'This is a participatory flavor,' Cohen says. 'You open up the pint lid, and what you see is this huge disc of solid chocolate. That represents all the wealth that has gone to the top one per cent since the end of the recession. Below the chocolate is just solid mint ice cream. That represents the rest of us. Then you take your soup spoon and you whack that chocolate into a lot of little pieces, then you mix it around and there you have it Bernie's Yearning.''

Knowing upfront that 'Bernie's Yearning' would have to be an extremely limited edition flavor, Cohen was faced with the dilemma of how to distribute (or, perhaps, redistribute) the ice cream. The solution: Donate most of them to Sanders supporters.

'The original idea was that we were going to make a small number of pints and put them up for auction on eBay and have the money go to Bernie's campaign,' Cohen told me. 'Then we realized that, legally, there were problems with getting money to the campaign and also the fact that auctioning it off to the person who had the most money would be very un-Bernie-like. This way, it's available to everybody regardless of how much money they have and, hopefully, people will make a donation to Bernie's campaign.'

Twenty-five of the 40 individually autographed and numbered pints of 'Bernie's Yearning' went to randomly selected winners who provided their name and contact information atwww.BerniesYearning.com. A message from Ben on the website reads, 'This site is owned by me, Ben Cohen, co-founder of Ben & Jerry's.It is not associated with Ben and Jerry's Homemade, Inc or the Sanders for President Campaign. It reflects my views alone.'

Not that he would seriously consider it, but what if Cohen were to create a flavor for the Donald Trump campaign? What might it consist of?

'The furthest I've got on a flavor for Trump is Donald Trump's Junk,' Cohen said, laughing. 'Trump came to Burlington and held a rally at the Flynn (Center for the Performing Arts). The deli next door came up with a sandwich called 'The Trumpster,' with two slices of white bread and three pounds of baloney in the middle. Maybe that's what we would throw into Trump's Junk.''

GREENVILLE The 12th annual Chocolate Festival in the Moosehead Lake Region just happens to land on one of the biggest chocolate days of the year, Valentine's Day. The 2016 Moosehead Region Chocolate Festival will feature a silent auction, a kids corner and of course chocolate.

'You can't get much better than good, quality chocolate,' said Angela Arno, executive director of the Moosehead Lake Region Chamber of Commerce. 'Over the 12 years of this festival, it has become obvious to us that people from near and far like to celebrate chocolate. It comes in different forms, with different pairings, and for different occasions, but it is always enjoyable. Chocolate lovers and casual chocolate consumers will all find something to enjoy at the Chocolate Festival.'

The silent auction will feature many items up for grabs, including all-inclusive weekend excursions in the Moosehead Lake Region. A kids' corner will feature children-specific food, games, and prizes, as well as special give-a-ways for the youngsters. Attendees will have the opportunity to sample 12 items from a selection of more than 40 different chocolate treats.

The 12th Annual Chocolate Festival will take place from 1-4 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 14 at the Masonic Temple on Pritham Ave. in Greenville. Admission is $10 for adults and $5 for kids. Tickets are available at the door.

'What better way to celebrate Valentine's Day than surrounded by chocolate and chocolate lovers?' asked Arno. 'Even for a moderate fan of chocolate, this festival is always a lot of fun and gives us an opportunity to gather together as a community and welcome in visitors from away in the middle winter, while showcasing what the Moosehead Region is all about.'

The 12th Annual Chocolate Festival is presented by the Moosehead Lake Chamber of Commerce. For more information about the Chocolate Festival, or the Moosehead Lake Region, call (207) 695-2702 or visit www.mooseheadlake.org.

Dining with the Famous and Infamous' combines celebrity stories, recipes

We love knowing things about famous people. And the more we know, the more we want to know. Entire cottage industries have sprung up around the notion that as a culture, we very much want to find out everything we can with regards to the private lives of the celebrated.

But in a unique and interesting peek behind the celebrity curtain, Fiona Ross offers up a look at one of the most revealing aspects of anyone's true life what they liked to eat.

'Dining with the Famous and Infamous' (Rowman & Littlefield; $38) is a kind of cookbook to the stars, featuring numerous food-centric anecdotes about artists, musicians, movie stars and others from the entertainment realm. This might seem like a significant limitation, but Ross manages to cook up some pretty good stories about some VERY famous people.

However, this book isn't just about telling you what these beloved (and not-so-beloved) figures ate it's about telling you how to make it for yourself.

Every section of the book contains at least one detailed recipe often more for a dish or drink that is discussed in-depth in its respective story. And we're talking a wide range of famous people here figures from the worlds of cinema and music and literature and art and while the stories range a little bit, the central conceit is always food.

The book is broken up into sections you've got Artists, which features Mark Rothko, Andy Warhol, Van Gogh and Picasso among others (including some super-weird Salvador Dali stuff); Movie Stars, which includes notables such as Laurel and Hardy, Liz Taylor, John Wayne and Woody Allen; Musicians, which takes a look at Sinatra and Dylan, Woody Guthrie and Michael Jackson; and Writers, which offers up Hemingway and Steinbeck and Orwell and some rather salacious Salinger tidbits as well.

In closing, we get a section named 'Finally, the Nuts,' which includes a handful of rather bizarre historical figures and their food relationships famed libertine Casanova, noted astrologer Sybil Leek, weirdo occultist Aleister Crowley and - of course - everybody's favorite seer Nostradamus.

So whether we're talking about the adolescent eating habits of the Beatles or the quiet meals shared between Bogey and Bacall, 'Dining with the Famous and Infamous' offers you an opportunity to eat those same foods. The book presents an opportunity for you to connect with these stars in a very visceral way through the stomach.

While one could argue that neither the anecdotes nor the recipes alone could stand on their own, there's no doubt that together, they are an intriguing reading experience. As you might expect, some sections prove more engaging than others personal taste, in terms of both the celebrities and the food, is going to play a significant role. Also, there are places where the stories feel a bit thin and/or strained, suffering in comparison to the more robust offerings.

We all have to eat; it's one of those universalities that connect everybody. What 'Dining with the Famous and Infamous' does is give that connection specificity there's something oddly compelling about knowing what food likes (and dislikes) you might share with a movie star or a literary icon. Fans of celebrity culture and/or cookbooks will find plenty to like here.

Alice was our au pair from China, and when she joined our family she brought with her a slew of tasty dishes.

Our family fell in love with her complex fried rice, dumplings with juicy meat fillings, and her crispy egg rolls with garlicky-meaty-mushroom fillings. The tricky thing was that Alice was one of those cooks who worked her magic without a recipe. I would watch, taking mental notes of the ingredients and quantities (writing it down felt, well, wrong), but replicating her dishes proved similar to me trying to capture the exact taste of my grandma's cooking impossible.

Though we loved all of her cooking (well, except for her take on chocolate muffins, but that's another story), her egg rolls were the family favorite. And why not? Minced up goodies wrapped in delicate, fried (essentially) pasta? Yes, please!

So I took the liberty (since I was missing the mark anyway) to create my own version, one that managed to get most of the crispy goodness with far less fat. After experimenting with a variety of methods from spraying the eggrolls with an oil mister or cooking spray as well as dry-baking the clear winner was the pastry brush method combined with a hot oven while also using a baking rack to allow for full air circulation during cooking.

So what if these egg rolls are not completely traditional? I did capture the essence of Alice's cooking, and when the girls are missing her I know fond memories are only an egg roll away.

And by the way, my experimenting also proved that quickly sauted bananas sprinkled with a little orange juice and a dark chocolate chip or two also make for a perfect dessert egg roll filling! Brush with coconut oil and dip cooked eggrolls in tangy Greek yogurt. Yum!

Heat the oven to 400 F. Line a baking sheet with foil, then set a wire rack over it. Mist the rack with cooking spray.

In a large saut pan over medium-high, heat 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil. Add the sausage and cook, breaking it up with a wooden spoon. Once cooked, transfer the sausage to a plate and set aside, leaving the residual oil in the pan.

Return the pan to the heat and add the mushrooms, celery and carrot. Cook until the mushrooms are soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger and scallions, then cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the peas, cabbage and sesame oil and cook until the cabbage softens, another 2 or 3 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl mix together the soy sauce and cornstarch with 1 tablespoon of water. Pour the mixture into the pan with the vegetables, then add the sausage. Stir, then cover and cook for 2 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and allow to cool just until easily handled.

Set a wonton wrapper on the work surface. Spoon a couple tablespoons of the vegetable mixture onto the wrapper. Start with one side and roll up the wrapper over the filling, folding in the sides as you go. As you finish rolling, use a finger to spread a little water on the edge to help create a seal. Repeat with remaining wontons and filling.

Place the egg rolls on the rack on the prepared baking sheet. Use the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil to brush the egg rolls. Bake until golden and crispy, about 20 minutes. If you do not have a baking rack, place the egg rolls directly on the baking sheet and turn the egg rolls over halfway through the cook time.

Maine is a big place with a small population compared to other states, a fact that was not lost on Kate Christensen, who moved to New England in 2011. The writer splits her time between a farmhouse in the White Mountains and a refurbished home in Portland.

But this book isn't really for Mainers. It's for tourists. Though she does live in the state, Christensen lives a very touristy lifestyle which is kind of the point. She visits restaurants, cooks food, isn't obligated to get up and go to work in the traditional sense so her approach is that of a permanent visitor. This is not an experience most people in Maine will entirely identify with not that there's anything wrong with that, but she doesn't seem to be aware of the distinction.

The writing is fine, mostly with an informal air of someone sharing their life. But it gets a little too self-indulgent, almost narcissistic. This is a trap of the memoir genre, one that Christensen doesn't manage to escape.

The book's biggest offense is the level of condescension, along with a casual dismissal of much of the state. For Christensen, living in Portland is rural living as someone from New York is bound to see it.

Maine is famous for its contradictions a starkly beautiful landscape that comes with a host of challenges. And its people, rugged and individualistic, can also struggle with poverty and addiction. But for someone who considers herself almost a Mainer, who loves the state and presumably the people, she has a funny way of showing it. Consider this passage:

'Of course, in terms of the people who live here there's very little variety. This region, apparently, is called by certain New Yorkers the South of the North, evidently because it's populated largely by the type of white people referred to as rednecks by urbanites, who view them as uneducated, poor, backwards-dwelling hicks who subsist on Walmart canned and junk food as well as hunting, fishing, foraging and the occasional roadkill, throwing Bud Light cans out of the windows of their pickup trucks into the woods.'

I kept waiting for her to drop the other shoe where she qualifies the statement with some bit of wisdom about how she had come to know the people here and it changed that view. That never happened. Instead you get to hear how awesome Christensen is, and it starts to read a little too much like a lengthy, self-indulgent social media post. She expresses a deep respect and love for some of the people who call Maine their home, but this is overshadowed by her strange habit of glorifying her own actions and strange bouts of haphazard snobbery like criticizing a restaurant, but pointing out she still left a big tip. Or eating at an establishment that costs a couple hundred dollars a plate, and still denigrating those who patronize the place for having more money than good taste. It's off-putting for a book that's mostly about good food and fellowship.

Where Christensen succeeds is in her descriptions of foods and restaurants throughout the state. Focusing on the food allows her to get outside of herself. The book positively shines when the spotlight falls on the restaurant owners and people who raise animals, tap trees and otherwise work within the landscape of the state to make good food. She locates these intrepid souls all over Maine, connects with them and shares their insight.

The recipes are delightful and tend to have a real sense of place. And the enjoyment she clearly gets from cooking and eating food is palpable. Truly, it has some delicious moments but you'll probably enjoy this book a bit more if you're from away.

Although this recipe may look as though it would be for breakfast, why not enjoy this spicy egg dish any time? While it contains no meat, you will find this to be satisfying and you won't have to look down at the scale afterwards. If desired, grill a slab of ham or enjoy with some toasted English muffins.

Coddled eggs in spicy tomato chili

I enjoy making the chili the day before and in the morning, or next day, finish it in the oven with the eggs atop. By all means, add 1/2 pound ground sausage to the onions and garlic to make this a truly hearty dish.

6 eggs

1 (15 1/2-ouncecan) red kidney beans, rinsed and drained

1 small red onion, minced

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon minced garlic in oil

1 small hot chili, seeded and minced

1(1 pound 12 ounce) can whole tomatoes, crushed

6 ounce can tomato paste

1 teaspoon dried basil

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon chopped fresh cilantro

Salt and pepper to taste

In a 2-quart casserole, cook the onions and garlic in oil over medium high heat until onions are soft, but not browned, about 3 minutes. Add beans, crushed tomatoes with juice, tomato paste and seasonings. Stir to combine, reduce heat to low and simmer 15 minutes, or until reduced and thickened slightly.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Remove from heat and gently crack eggs into a bowl, one at a time. As you crack them, gently place each egg on top of thickened chili and continue with remainder eggs, leaving a separation between each egg.

Place in oven, uncovered, and bake about 18-20 minutes, or until desired doneness is reached. Remove from oven and scoop into serving bowls, each with an egg atop.

I ordinarily like my eggs runny, but in this recipe, by cooking them firm, the texture of the yolk is perfect mixed in with this dish, while the runny yolk is not as pleasant aesthetically.

Ahhh. That's all I can say about these cookies. A mainstay of every household with children I know of, it should be in your home as well. This is the perfect time of year to enjoy these goodies because the weather is cool enough for these to set and not leave melted chocolate on every piece of furniture in the house.

I realize everyone has their own rendition of no bake cookies, but try mine. These are perfectly able to withstand even the harshest of critics.

Chocolate peanut butter no bake cookies

Why add the cocoa and chocolate chips? Both chocolate products add their own distinct characteristics to these cookies that I find perfect. Plus, with the addition of the chocolate chips, you don't have to worry about bringing the boiling mixture to a "hard" stage before removing and for the final product to harden properly; the chocolate helps you with this.

1 cup milk

1 sticks butter or margarine

2 cup sugar

2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1 cup chocolate chips

1 1/2 cup peanut butter

2 1/2 cup rolled oats

Put first five ingredients in sauce pan and heat to a rolling boil, while stirring, over high heat. Continue stirring frequently and boil for 8 minutes. If you have a candy thermometer, it should read right around the soft ball stage, but this isn't necessary because of the addition of chocolate chips. As you know, melted chocolate chips will firm while cooling, even in a mixture such as these cookies.

After 8 minutes, add the chocolate chips and continue cooking and stirring until melted. Remove from heat and add peanut butter: blend well. Pour in oats and stir until mixed. Grab 2 large baking sheets and "drop" the mixture by the 1/4 cup, leaving 2 inches between each mound. Now drop on the floor. That's right, hold it 5-6 inches from the floor or counter and drop evenly so that the cookies spread out slightly. If the mixture is slightly runny and seems to spread out naturally, there is no need to do this step. Let stand until cookies harden either out of, or in, the refrigerator. It usually takes about 1/2 hour.

Some of you may not be thrilled with this recipe, while others may take a gamble and try them as is. While the sauce is optional, at least you've learned how to make fried pickles. Me?!?! I can't stand the things - until I gave it some thought.

I adore pickles in every manner imaginable, except deep fried. So the other night I began thinking of how I could enjoy them other than on a burger or a hot dog. Voila! I made this and now I love fried pickles, prepared my way! The cheesy, mustardy sauce laden with cooked, chopped hot dogs was absolutely perfect as a dip for the pickles. If hot dogs aren't your thing, simply substitute grilled, drained and chopped up, cooked burger mixed in with the sauce. Either way, I am hooked as I think you will be too.

Fried pickles, my way

Use pickle slices either horizontally or vertically. As for the cheese sauce, I lightened the load a bit here by telling you to purchase premade cheese sauce. Of course you can make your own, but why wait?

1 cup of sliced pickle chips or 7-9 stacker slices

2 eggs

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup cornmeal

1/2 teaspoon each of salt and black pepper

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

Vegetable oil for frying

Pour enough oil in a sturdy pot over medium heat. Bring to 350 degrees F. If using a deep fryer, follow manufacturer's instructions. While oil is heating, drain pickles well. In a bowl, beat the eggs well; set aside. In another bowl, combine all dry ingredients; set aside. Dip pickles into the eggs, letting excess drip off just for a second and dredge in the cornmeal mixture. Coating thoroughly, leave them covered in the dry ingredients while oil is heating.

When oil is hot enough, carefully drop the pickles, 1/2 cup at a time, and cook until golden brown on both sides, turning, about 4-5 minutes total. Remove from oil onto paper towel lined plate. Serve with Hot dog cheese sauce

I adore Greek cuisine, and I have a lifelong ambition to someday visit that great nation. The ancient culture has intrigued me since I was a child, the language has grabbed my attention ever since I learned the Greek alphabet as a teen, and the food makes me want to fly there just to taste authentic spanakopita. But if I can't jump on my jet (yet), at least I can give you a recipe for this dish that is both easy to prepare and delightful to enjoy.

Crispy and smooth spanakopitas

I really shouldn't even classify this dish as a meal because in Greece, it is mainly eaten as a snack, much like we enjoying chicken wings here in the U.S. But I find that by adding a fresh, crisp salad and some crusty bread, it does satisfy, especially when you don't want to feel bloated after a meal (remember Thanksgiving and Christmas, everyone?). For a great change of pace, you don't have to stick with spinach. Cook up some other leafy greens such as sorrel, Swiss chard, turnip greens, beet greens, collard greens or kohlrabi. As for the cheese, I wouldn't substitute anything for this fine Greek staple.

1 pound fresh spinach leaves

1/4 cup olive oil

1 small bunch green onions, chopped

3 tablespoons dried dill

Pinch ground nutmeg

Salt and black pepper to taste

1/4 lb. feta cheese, crumbled

2 eggs, beaten

1/4 pound ricotta cheese

Nonstick cooking spray

1(17-ounce) package of frozen phyllo sheets, thawed in refrigerator

Rinse and drain the spinach very, very well. Heat olive oil over medium high heat in a large skillet. Saute onions 2 minutes. Add spinach and dill and continue cooking for 4 minutes, or until the spinach is just barely wilted. Add the nutmeg and season with salt and pepper. Spinach mixture should be on the dry side. Remove from heat and set the spinach aside to cool.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the feta and eggs until just mixed. Add the cooled spinach mixture and mix until just combined. Spray a 9 x 12 oven pan with nonstick cooking spray.

Spray 2 sheets with cooking spray. Cut each sheet into 4 x 4-inch squares. Place half of the squares onto prepared sheet pan and add 2 T. spinach mixture onto each square. Whip ricotta cheese in a bowl to smooth. Dollop a tablespoon or two onto the center of each spinach mound and cover with the remainder of the spinach mixture so each square has an even amount. Press with a spatula to flatten. Layer the remainder of the squares over the spinach mixture, making sure to spray the top of each with cooking spray.

Bake in a preheated 350-degree oven until the pita turns a deep golden brown, about 20-25 minutes.

Food historians have been arguing about the origin of tarte Tatins almost since its origination. To The Yankee Chef, it is quite clear. At the Hotel Tatin in France, two sisters by the names of Stephanie and Caroline Tatin were both cooks and were in charge of the desserts on a daily basis. One day Stephanie was making an apple dessert and had forgotten about the apples she had been cooking in butter on the stovetop. Thinking she shouldn't waste them, she quickly added a rolled-out pastry dough on top of the apples and stuck the skillet in the oven, hoping to be able to at least create a caramelized apple pastry. When she removed the skillet from the oven and turned it out onto a plate, she was surprised that it wasn't burnt at all and that everything came out perfectly. Ever since that day, this upside-down tarte has been a best seller at the hotel, and with global appeal.

Because of their popularity, many chefs and historians have argued that these upside-down treats were made many years beforehand, with M.A. Careme even giving a version of this recipe in his 'Patissier Royal Parisien,' 1841. Regardless, Careme's recipe is far different and more complex, therefore let's let the little guy (or gal) win one, shall we?

Individual peach tarte Tatins

The best way to invert these individual desserts is by holding a serving plate tightly on top and flipping both the plate and the ramekin together, ever so carefully. Serves four.

1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted

1 frozen sheet butter puff pastry, thawed

2 small very firm peaches, pitted, peeled and halved

1 teaspoon minced peach peel (for color)

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon lemon juice, divided

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves, optional

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Brush the inside of 4 ramekins with melted butter liberally. Using the bottom of a ramekin, cut out 4 circular shapes from the pastry, set on a plate, cover and refrigerate until needed. Transfer each cut half of the peach and place into each ramekin, cut side up. In a small bowl, mix together the sugars, peach peel and ground cloves and evenly distribute it among the 4 peaches. Sprinkle each with equal an amount of melted butter on each along with vanilla and lemon juice. Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until caramel starts to darken.

Remove from oven, reduce heat to 350 degrees F and top each with a pastry round. Return to oven and bake 5-6 minutes or until pastry is light brown and crisp.